"Twenty-One", also known as "Blackjack", has historically been widely played as a game of chance at gaming establishments. Each round of the game is a contest between each of the players respectively and the dealer, with each player and the dealer attempting to obtain a hand count of twenty-one or a hand count as close to twenty-one as possible without exceeding twenty-one.
A standard deck of playing cards consisting of numbered cards two through ten, face cards (jack, queen, and king) and an ace, in each of four suits (clubs, diamonds, hearts and spades), is normally used for playing the game of Twenty-One. The numbered cards each have a count equal to the card number, face cards each have a count of ten and each ace has a count of one or eleven, whichever is most beneficial to the count of the hand.
The conventional method of play of the game of Twenty-One utilized by most gaming establishments is as follows:
Each player places his initial wager, also known as his "ante", before any cards are dealt. The wager can be any amount, at the players discretion, between the minimum and maximum limits set by the rules of the gaming establishment, also referred to as the "house" rules. Each player is then dealt two cards, both of which are commonly face down, and the dealer is dealt two cards, one of which is commonly face down and one of which is commonly face up. Each player, in turn, then takes as many "hits" (additional cards) as he elects until he either "stands" (stops with hand count less than or equal to twenty-one) or "busts" (hand count exceeds twenty-one). Each player may stand with any hand count of twenty-one or less. If a player busts, he loses his wager, regardless of whether or not the dealer busts.
After each of the players, in turn, has taken as many hits as he elects and has stood on his hand or busted, the dealer then turns over his face down card and then either stands on his hand or takes hits in accordance with the house rules. Conventionally, the house rules require that the dealer stand on his hand if he has a hand count of seventeen or more and require that he take hits, if his initial hand count is seventeen or less, until he attains a hand count of seventeen or more. After obtaining a hand count of seventeen or more, the dealer is not allowed to take additional hits, unless one of his cards is an ace.
Under the conventional manner of play, the house rules require that the dealer take a hit if his initial hand is an ace and a six ("soft" seventeen), or if, after receiving one or more hits, the dealer's hand consists of an ace and two or more cards that add up to a card count of six. The ace may thereafter be counted with a card count of eleven or one, depending on the hits. Also, under the conventional manner of play, the dealer is required to stand if his initial hand is a soft eighteen, soft nineteen or soft twenty, and the ace is then counted with a card count of eleven.
If the dealer busts, each player who has not busted wins. If the dealer does not bust, then the hand count for each player is compared with the hand count of the dealer. If the hand count of a player exceeds that of the dealer, the player wins. He is commonly paid on a 1-to-1 basis. If the hand count of the dealer exceeds that of the player, the player loses. If the player's hand count ties that of the dealer, it is called a "push" and the rules of play used by the gaming establishment may provide that the player loses his wager or that the player's wager is returned to him.
The conventional method of playing twenty-one which is utilized by most gaming establishments, also includes at least three well-known procedures. These are "insurance", "doubling down" and "splitting pairs".
After each player and the dealer receives their first two cards, if the dealer's "up" card is an ace, each player may elect to make an "insurance" bet. The amount of the insurance bet, for each player making the election, is one-half of the amount of his original ante. Then the dealer, without turning over his face down card, checks the face down card, and if the dealer has a blackjack (a two card, twenty-one count hand), he then turns over the face down card. Each player placing an insurance bet wins and is paid on a 2-to-1 basis for the insurance bet only. All players who do not also have a two card, twenty-one count hand (a blackjack), lose their original ante regardless of their insurance bet. Each player also having a two card twenty-one count hand has his ante returned to him or loses his ante, depending on the house rules.
Another well known procedure utilized by gaming establishments is "doubling down". The initial two card, hand count total which permits a player to elect to "double down", is established by house rules. The three most common double down hand counts utilized by gaming establishments are (a) nine, ten, or eleven; (b) ten or eleven; or (c) eleven only. If the player has an initial two card hand count total equal to one of the values established by the house rules, he may elect to double down. The player informs the dealer of his election to double down and places an additional wager equal to the amount of his original ante. The dealer then deals to that player one and only one additional card, face down, and the resulting three card hand establishes the final count for that player's hand. The player's three card hand count is compared with the dealer's final hand count and the amount of the player's wager is the total of the original ante and the double down bet.
Another well known procedure utilized by gaming establishments is "splitting pairs". If the first two cards of a player's hand are a pair or are both ten count cards, that player may elect to "split" the initial two cards into two separate hands. He then elects to apply his original ante to one of the two hands and places an additional ante for the other hand. Both of the original two cards are then turned face up and the player plays each of the two hands as a separate hand in accordance with the house rules. Some gaming establishments only allow splitting if the player's first two cards are a true pair. House rules may allow a player to double down and may allow him to place an insurance bet on either or both hands.
There are a number of different modifications or variations of the game which are adopted by house rules at various gaming establishments. For example, the game can be played with both of the dealer's initial cards being turned face up, before the players elect to stand or take hits.
The terms conventional method, conventional manner, and conventional rules used in this disclosure and in the claims mean and include or refer to the game of Twenty-One or Blackjack as previously described as well as any of the known variations of the game Twenty-One or Blackjack.
The method of playing Twenty-One as set forth in the patent of LeVasseur, U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,429, cited provides one variant of the game designed to increase the speed of play and to provide a significant variant of the game to promote interest in the game of Twenty-One.
While there are some variations of the game of Twenty-One, some of which are described above, and there are a number of optional procedures, some of which are also described above, there have been few substantially varied versions of the game available to increase the speed of play and to provide variety and stimulate additional interest in the game. The LeVasseur patent cited describes one such variant.
There are certain limitations with conventional Twenty-One, from the perspective of gaming establishments and players respectively. Each round begins with each player and the dealer being dealt two cards. Then each player must make his election to take hits or stand, based upon the evaluation of the two cards of his hand and the count of his cards, while taking into account the dealer's face-up card. Then the dealer must complete his hand by standing or taking hits in accordance with the house rules. Only then are winning and losing hands determined, winning wagers are paid and losing wagers are collected. Aside from sporadic opportunities to make insurance bets, double down bets and splitting bets, interim wagering opportunities are limited.
One objective of the present invention is to provide a significant variant in the method of play of Twenty-One in order to promote increased interest in the game. Another objective of the present invention is to provide additional opportunities for wagering in each round. A further objective of the present invention is to increase the number of rounds the game may be played within any time period. These objectives are of interest to gaming establishments as they desire means for increasing revenue from the game without requiring an increase in the size of the minimum ante placed by each player. These objectives are also of interest to players as they desire additional variety and intensity in the game.
The present invention satisfies each of these objectives. It provides a new significant variation in the method of play which increases interest in the game. It increases the speed and intensity of play and thereby increases the number of rounds of the game that can be played within a specific period of time. It provides an additional wagering opportunity (even money bet) for each player on each round, while preserving the opportunity to place insurance and double down wagers. This increases the potential revenue to gaming establishments and promotes interest in the game.
It is a feature of the present invention to provide that a single card is incorporated into the hand of each of the players as well as the hand of the dealer. Other advantages and features of the present invention as well as additional objects of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description.